Workflower
  • SystemSystem

    imageWorkflower

    Annoyed by messy After Effects comps? With Workflower, you can create layer groups within your comp, as well as use other workflow-enhancing tools, like adjustment layers to selected layers only, layer cloning, or matte merging.

    https://aescripts.com/workflower/


  • Sean CussonSean Cusson
    Will this break scripts that rely on specific layer names?
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sean Cusson said:
    Will this break scripts that rely on specific layer names?
    Hi Sean,

    what scripts do you mean specifically? Then I can take a look at them to tell you whether it would work.

    Generally speaking, Workflower modifies layer names to make the indenting of layer names work. However, if layer names are referenced in expressions, for example, Workflower will update the names in these expressions so that they don't break. If some script might still depend on the layer name being exactly the same, that might be a problem, though. You can always switch to 'Expression Mode' in Workflower to get rid of all modifications of the layer names: https://workflower.constantin-maier.com/main-functions/layout#toggle-expression-mode
    That way, you still get various benefits of layer grouping but you can never run into any problems concerning layer names. (Best set 'Expression Mode' as the 'Default Layout Style' in the settings then.) 

    However, this 'Expression Mode' of course wouldn't be preferred if you want the clearest experience of organizing your comp. So, yeah, just let me know what scripts you're talking about, so I can tell you whether they're compatible with the 'Indented Layout' of Workflower.

    Best wishes, Constantin
  • davy dumartheraydavy dumartheray
    Hello,
    I am really exited with your srcipt but when I select it in File,Script I get an error wich I put in attachment file.
    erreur_workflower.jpg
    478 x 159 - 52K
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    davy dumartheray said:
    Hello,
    I am really exited with your srcipt but when I select it in File,Script I get an error wich I put in attachment file.
    Hi Davy, I'm sure I can fix it. Can you open up a support ticket?: https://aescripts.com/contact/
    (Just sent me a quick message there.) That way, I can help you better than here in the comments.
  • Sergey KirdanSergey Kirdan
    Hello. I would like to know, will the project, using Workflower, tool work properly on a machine without this tool.
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sergey Kirdan said:
    Hello. I would like to know, will the project, using Workflower, tool work properly on a machine without this tool.
    Hi Sergey, yes, you can open up a project created with Workflower if you don't have the script. However, if you want to continue to work in this project, I would recommend to convert your comps to either Non-Indented Layout or to what is called Expression Mode Layout, so you don't have to deal with all layer names being indented. Please read up here for more information on using Workflower projects without the script:
    You can always just test out the trial to see whether it works for you. :)
  • Aisha NgaAisha Nga
    What is the difference between Workflower and Free Compose? I recently purchased Free Compose and I'm trying to figure out if I should purchase this too or if I already have most of the features. 
  • jonathan alenskasjonathan alenskas
    Hi. Love what you have made here. answers so many vfx fustrations. question, will the parent work as a layer inside red giants super comp ?
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Aisha Nga said:
    What is the difference between Workflower and Free Compose? I recently purchased Free Compose and I'm trying to figure out if I should purchase this too or if I already have most of the features. 
    Hi Aisha,

    I haven't used Free Compose, so I can't really tell. It seems, though, that the grouping works a bit different there. You can always just test out the Workflower trial to see which tool fits better into your workflow. Aside from grouping, Workflower also offers some other tools, like adjustment layers to selected layers, cloning and matting tools, if that's something you're interested in.

    Best wishes, Constantin
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    jonathan alenskas said:
    Hi. Love what you have made here. answers so many vfx fustrations. question, will the parent work as a layer inside red giants super comp ?
    Hi Jonathan, thank you for the kind words! :) 

    What do you mean by parent? You mean a parented group?

    I haven't really used Supercomp so far but I just tested it and parented Workflower group layers seem to work perfectly fine in Supercomp. However, maybe that's not what you mean?

    The only issue I just saw was that the Supercomp layer apparently needs to be named "Supercomp" and when using the "Indented Layout" in Workflower, this will rename the layer and therefore "break" the Supercomp. I'll release an update soon (maybe tomorrow) where the Supercomp layer will not be renamed. For now, you'd have to stick to using Workflower's "Non-Indented Layout" when using Supercomp.

    (I think it would be a good idea for a feature in the future for the user to be able to define a certain set of layer names that Workflower will not rename in "Indented Layout" so that other scripts/plugins that depend on certain layer names will not break. I don't know when I'll be able to get to it but it should be fairly simple to implement.)
  • Jacob MrozekJacob Mrozek
    Every time I use any feature it changes every single layer color to grey, which isn't helpful at all. 

    i.e. - I will create a linked adjustment layer and every single layer goes grey. 

    Is there any way to mitigate this or turn that function off? Why does it do that? 


  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Jacob Mrozek said:
    Every time I use any feature it changes every single layer color to grey, which isn't helpful at all. 

    i.e. - I will create a linked adjustment layer and every single layer goes grey. 

    Is there any way to mitigate this or turn that function off? Why does it do that? 


    Hey Jacob, this feature is intended for when you mostly work with groups. All layers outside groups will be be labeled to "None" by default wheras all layers within a group get a uniform color. However, when you don't use so many groups (or you just generally don't want to work like that), you can also change this setting. Go to Workflower's settings and in the "Layout" panel, disable "Color Label Layers Outside Groups to 'None' by Default".

    You can also change this setting for comps individually if you want to - some comps might be smaller without groups or with fewer groups where you want to color label your group-less layers, some other comps might be bigger ones with mostly groups where it's easier to see which layers are in a group and which aren't when group-less layers are labeled to "None". To change this for comps individually, in the "Layout" settings, enable "Use Custom Color Label Setting for Active Comp". Or even quicker - click on the dedicated button on the relabel panel: 
  • Sean CussonSean Cusson
    Constantin Maier said:
    Sean Cusson said:
    Will this break scripts that rely on specific layer names?
    Hi Sean,

    what scripts do you mean specifically? Then I can take a look at them to tell you whether it would work.

    Generally speaking, Workflower modifies layer names to make the indenting of layer names work. However, if layer names are referenced in expressions, for example, Workflower will update the names in these expressions so that they don't break. If some script might still depend on the layer name being exactly the same, that might be a problem, though. You can always switch to 'Expression Mode' in Workflower to get rid of all modifications of the layer names: https://workflower.constantin-maier.com/main-functions/layout#toggle-expression-mode
    That way, you still get various benefits of layer grouping but you can never run into any problems concerning layer names. (Best set 'Expression Mode' as the 'Default Layout Style' in the settings then.) 

    However, this 'Expression Mode' of course wouldn't be preferred if you want the clearest experience of organizing your comp. So, yeah, just let me know what scripts you're talking about, so I can tell you whether they're compatible with the 'Indented Layout' of Workflower.

    Best wishes, Constantin
    For example, I use a few character rigging tools which rely on specific layer names in order for the rigs to work. These are all done through expressions. The one I use the most is Dekay Tools.
  • Greg PlattGreg Platt
    Hey Constantin! This looks fantastic and your demo video had me crying laughing so hard. :D 
  • Scott SimmonsScott Simmons
    So we have a mixed network (Win10 Pro and Mac OS 11.3) where projects are shared.  Will projects that use Workflower behave exactly the same on both platforms?

    Scott
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Scott Simmons said:
    So we have a mixed network (Win10 Pro and Mac OS 11.3) where projects are shared.  Will projects that use Workflower behave exactly the same on both platforms?

    Scott
    Hi Scott, sorry for responding to you just now. (I'll have to work on a VFX job atm and there's also much to care about concerning Workflower too ... ;)).

    So, on Mac, the comp layout will look a bit different on Mac than on Windows. On Windows, Workflower is using a certain set of special characters to display its layer icons. On Mac, however, this isn't possible, so it uses a combination of regular characters. However, once you open up a project that was created either on Mac or Windows, Workflower will convert the comp layout to the current OS. Other than that, there shouldn't be any difference between the two OS in terms of how the projects look like that I'm aware of. I have worked on a project where I switched between Mac and Windows using Workflower and it worked fine.

    However, I cannot claim to have tested this extensively. So if you decide to use Workflower and you might encounter any issues concerning sharing the projects between Mac and Windows, I'm happy to help and to change the code if needed.

    Best wishes, Constantin
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sean Cusson said:
    For example, I use a few character rigging tools which rely on specific layer names in order for the rigs to work. These are all done through expressions. The one I use the most is Dekay Tools.
    Hi Sean,

    so, I tested Workflower with Deekay Tool now and unfortunately I have to tell you that the "Indented Layout" of Workflower will break some expressions in Deekay Tool. However, I was able to test "Non-Indented Layout" in Workflower successfully with Deekay Tool. As I already suggested, you should then set your "Default Layout Style" to "Non-Indented Layout" in the "Layout" settings of Workflower. Also, as "Non-Indented Layout" will still rename some layer types, you might want to disable the icons for "Parent Exception Layers" and "Prime Clone Layers" in the "Icons" settings of Workflower as these are the only icons that affect regular layers (that means layers not created by Workflower).

    Certainly, "Intended Layout" would be preferred in terms of having a cleaner experience of browsing through your comp, however I'd still argue that working in "Non-Indented Layout" would be of a major benefit over not using Workflower. However, everyone's workflow is different, so you might have to see for yourself whether that's something you might be interested. You can always test out the trial of Workflower to see whether it works for you. :)

    As I'm mainly a compositor and not a character animator, I don't have any experience with Deekay Tool or similar tools and what they entail. However, it seems to me that it should be fairly easy for the developers to implement changes so that the tool would be compatible with Workflower. The expressions in Deekay Tool use a variable that feeds into the layer name. However, if the expressions would be written in a way so that they only contain the layer name in the layer reference, Workflower would be able to update that expression correctly in "Indented Layout" (using a standard renaming function in the AE scripting API). But what from what I'm seeing, Deekay Tool can also select certain layers that are connected, for example. My guess is that's done by layer name in scripting. If the code would be changed so that it's trimming the left space of a layer name in order to identify the layer, it could be compatible with "Indented Layout" in Workflower. But, yeah, certainly not something that's possible right now but maybe if there'd be enough demand ...

    Best wishes, Constantin
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Greg Platt said:
    Hey Constantin! This looks fantastic and your demo video had me crying laughing so hard. :D 
    Haha, Greg, I'm glad you liked it! :) I also had good fun creating the video. Also, creating the tool for sure. (Although, there were also a lot of days of intense desperation, I guess.^^)
  • Yotam HatzviYotam Hatzvi
    Hi,

    Congrats on creating such a great tool.

    Just wondering if there's a way to apply effects and create masks on the actual group header layer (which will effect all layers in that group), rather than having to create a group adjustment layer and a matte layer.
    Most of the time, I'd want to create a group of layers so I can manipulate and apply effects to them all at once (as if they're all one layer).
    With Workflower, it seems like to apply an effect to them I need to create an adjustment layer, which sits inside the group. Which means, everytime I want to apply an effect, I need to expand the group to do so rather than just applying the effect to the group header.
    Also, if I want to mask the group as a whole, it seems I need to create a group matte layer, which creates a matte layer for every layer in the group - this kind of defeats the purpose of a group, which is to make the comp tidy.
    Additionally, by creating adjustment layers and extra matte layers, it seems to be slowing my machine down as well with all the additional expressions.

    If there's a way to apply effects or masks to the group header, can you please let me know how to do so?

    Thanks so much:)
    Yotam



  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Yotam Hatzvi said:
    Hi,

    Congrats on creating such a great tool.

    Just wondering if there's a way to apply effects and create masks on the actual group header layer (which will effect all layers in that group), rather than having to create a group adjustment layer and a matte layer.
    Most of the time, I'd want to create a group of layers so I can manipulate and apply effects to them all at once (as if they're all one layer).
    With Workflower, it seems like to apply an effect to them I need to create an adjustment layer, which sits inside the group. Which means, everytime I want to apply an effect, I need to expand the group to do so rather than just applying the effect to the group header.
    Also, if I want to mask the group as a whole, it seems I need to create a group matte layer, which creates a matte layer for every layer in the group - this kind of defeats the purpose of a group, which is to make the comp tidy.
    Additionally, by creating adjustment layers and extra matte layers, it seems to be slowing my machine down as well with all the additional expressions.

    If there's a way to apply effects or masks to the group header, can you please let me know how to do so?

    Thanks so much:)
    Yotam



    Hi Yotam,

    thank you for the kind words. :)

    Unfortunately, there's no way to apply effects or masks directly to the group header as of now. However, I think it's a cool idea for something that can be implemented in the future. It might take a bit until I can get to it, though, as there is just too much to do right now and it'll take a bit until I'll have figured out how to actually to do it.

    About group mattes creating an additional layer for every group layer: that's a fair point. I wanted to find a way that reliably applies mattes with transforms always set correctly and using a track matte is the only way to do it. However, when you work a lot with layers that have "Continuous Rasterization/Collapse Transformation" enabled or layers that have comp dimensions, there'd be no need for the additional matte layers, as a Calculations/Set Matte effect could reference the transforms correctly then. (As I'm mostly a compositor, I deal a lot bitmap rather than vector graphics, so I rarely work with that many layers that have "Continuous Rasterization" enabled, however I know there are a lot of people that do.) So, in the future, I think about implementing a feature that would only create a track matte if it would be necessary and otherwise apply the matting effects directly to the layer. That way, there'd be more clarity in the comp and I imagine performance-wise it would be faster too.

    And yes - you're right - adjustment layers and group mattes reduce performance, especially when the group is bigger. However, I think it has less to do with the expressions but rather with the fact that the effects/layers are applied to every layer. (At least with adjustment layers, you can also unlink them but depending on the situation, this might not change that much to be honest. Clones, on the other hand, seem to perform much better when unlinked.) In addition to what I said above about group mattes, I also think about giving the user the option to choose between using either the Calculations or Set Matte effect to use for matting. The Set Matte effect has less options but since it is GPU accelerated, it should be faster. (I haven't done speed tests, though.)

    Still, I guess using a group matte or group adjustment layer will always be some sort of a tradeoff - you get a better workflow but it's not as fast as without it. (But, yeah, like I said, maybe I can make it less of a tradeoff in the future. ;))

    What you can do right now, though, is to create a "Group Clone" (with "Prime Clone" enabled) and apply the effects and the matte directly to that layer. It depends on the situation, how many layers vs. how many effects on then, but a clone can be faster, even when it's linked (unlinked should be faster most of the time I'd say), since you apply the group effects and matte only to one layer. Also, you'd have more clarity in the comp since the group matte doesn't have to be applied to every layer. However, using a "Group Clone" also has some drawbacks as you would have to execute "Refresh Connections" more frequently to see the changes you make on your layers and working on the layers can be slower since everything is linked by expressions. You can always execute "Show Clone Layers" - that way you can temporarily work directly on the source layers - but you won't be able to see the group matte and group effects for the time being as they're just applied to the "Group Clone" layer itself (which is hidden when you "show" the layers.)

    So, yeah, sorry for not being able to give you a better answer. The feature ideas I talked about might take some time to implement, though, as they would require quite some overhaul of the way matting works in Workflower and, like I said, right now, I just don't have time to do it ...

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Lang WalkerLang Walker
    How does this plugin work with render farms?
    Do we need a copy on every render node, and does it have to be licensed?

    Our farm is mix of OSX and Windows, can it handle that?


  • Yotam HatzviYotam Hatzvi
    Thanks for the quick and thorough answer Constantin.
    There are obviously some great benefits of using the Workflow adjustments layer, like being able to apply effects to specific layers (which is amazing!!!).
    But it would also be ideal if, in the future, there is an option to just apply effects and masks to the group header - it will make your tool the perfect AE companion.
    There's another tool in AEScripts called, Free Composer, which lets you group layers and applies effects and masks on the group header. 
    I'm pretty sure if you try it out, you'll be able to quickly work out how to apply effects and masks to just the group header to affect the layers inside that group.

    Thanks again for your reply buddy:)
    Yotam
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Lang Walker said:
    How does this plugin work with render farms?
    Do we need a copy on every render node, and does it have to be licensed?

    Our farm is mix of OSX and Windows, can it handle that?


    Hey Lang,

    no, you don't need extra copies for that. You can open up an aep that was created with Workflower on a machine without it too. However, I haven't tested the script on a render farm yet, to be honest, but it's just a normal aep, so I don't see why it shouldn't work.

    Concerning your question about OSX and Windows: Yes, Workflower will work on both platforms. However, on Mac, Workflower uses different icons within the layer names than on Windows. Also, the layers are indented a bit differently due to the fact that AE uses a slightly different font here. Still, importing a project from another OS works without breaking expressions, etc., as far as I've tested this. When you execute any Workflower function, it will then convert the comp layout to its OS-specific layout. But it will be readable even in the layout of the other OS. (If you want to continue to work in this comp, you should, however, convert it to the OS-specific layout.)

    I worked on a project where I switched between Mac and Windows and it worked fine. However, (as I mentioned in one of the post here before) I cannot claim to have tested this extensively. So if you may run into any issues, I'm happy to help and change something in the code if needed.

    What you can also do, just to be really safe, you can convert all comps in your project to a layout without any indent or special characters (what is called "Expression Mode") before the file is being sent to the render farm (or just generally being exchanged between OS's):

    Since that layout has no indent or special characters, it will look exactly the same on both platforms. Tomorrow or the day after I'll be releasing an updated version of Workflower with which you can batch-convert all comps in one project to another layout style. (As of now, you'd have to do this for every comp individually.)

    Still, like I said, the layout should be readable in the layout of the other OS, too, so converting all comps to "Expression Mode" shouldn't be necessary, I'd say.

    I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, just let me know!

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • niu yaniu ya
    Hi, I just purchased this script.
    I just installed it at the moment, but there is no way to call out the menu because it is a Japanese keyboard. Even if I reset the shortcut keys in ae, this message still pops up. Can you please fix this setting which is affected by the language keyboard?
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    niu ya said:
    Hi, I just purchased this script.
    I just installed it at the moment, but there is no way to call out the menu because it is a Japanese keyboard. Even if I reset the shortcut keys in ae, this message still pops up. Can you please fix this setting which is affected by the language keyboard?
    Hey, I'm sorry to hear about your problems. What do you mean by you reset the shortcut keys? Did you make sure your AE keyboard layout preset file name only contains regular English characters or numbers? When you are in AE's Keyboard Shortcuts panel, next to the keyboard layout preset dropdown, click on "Save As..." to create a copy of the current keyboard layout preset and then choose a name only with regular English characters.
    If this doesn't solve the issue, please send me a support ticket as it will be easier for me to help you that way: https://aescripts.com/contact/?product_id=1790
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Yotam Hatzvi said:
    Thanks for the quick and thorough answer Constantin.
    There are obviously some great benefits of using the Workflow adjustments layer, like being able to apply effects to specific layers (which is amazing!!!).
    But it would also be ideal if, in the future, there is an option to just apply effects and masks to the group header - it will make your tool the perfect AE companion.
    There's another tool in AEScripts called, Free Composer, which lets you group layers and applies effects and masks on the group header. 
    I'm pretty sure if you try it out, you'll be able to quickly work out how to apply effects and masks to just the group header to affect the layers inside that group.

    Thanks again for your reply buddy:)
    Yotam
    Hey Yotam,

    so, yeah, I thought about it in the last days and I think a simple implementation of applying effects and masks to a group header can be done somewhat quickly without too much modification of the code. Right now, I can't but I'd say in about a month I can get to it.

    Concerning the possible speed improvements I talked about ... So I did some speed tests and I still should be doing more extensive tests but, unfortunately, as of now, I don't really get better results with the "Set Matte" effect (at least on my machine here), nor do I get better results if the effect is applied to the layer itself instead of the track matte. (The latter should still be implemented regardless ...) However, I did get very encouraging results when using a "Precomp Clone" as the track matte (about 3x the speed in the examples I tested). You can also build mattes using "Precomp Clones" (you can even set custom blending modes, like "Stencil Alpha", etc. for each contained layer) - however, the process of matting using "Precomp Clones" isn't as elaboare as the "Merge Mattes" function is. So, yeah, in the future, I think I should work on expanding on that and also offer it then as another matting option (so you can then choose between "Merge Mattes via Effects" and "Merge Mattes via Clones"). Then a group matte could also be created using "Precomp Clones". It would require a greater use of "Refresh Connections", as compared to using "Merge Mattes via Effects" when the matte layer has "Continous Rasterization" turned on, but the speed improvement seems worth it to me. However, this "Merge Mattes via Clones" will take quite a while to implement and I don't know when I'll be able to get to it.

    However, using "Precomp Clones", we still have to rely on the track matte which makes the group look messier than it has to be, as you already said. So, one quick fix could be, to shy these track mattes (at least the ones that only hold a group matte, I'd say). That should be fairly easy to implement and can be done regardless of whether we go down to "Precomp Clones" for matting route or not. I'd just have to find a way how to handle working with these layers, as you will have to select the layer as well as the shy'd track matte when you would want to move the layers around. Maybe I can hijack the "Select Group" function for selecting both of them and the "Expand / Collapse Group" function to expand/collapse these shy'd track mattes. Well, we'll see ...

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Sean CussonSean Cusson
    So I bought Workflower and it's been great so far (lots to explore). The one thing I don't like (and this could just be user error) is that when I create a group all my other layers turn grey. How do I prevent Workflower from affecting layers that aren't selected? I already have a color scheme setup on my layers and I keep having to go recolor everything after I've created a group.
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sean Cusson said:
    So I bought Workflower and it's been great so far (lots to explore). The one thing I don't like (and this could just be user error) is that when I create a group all my other layers turn grey. How do I prevent Workflower from affecting layers that aren't selected? I already have a color scheme setup on my layers and I keep having to go recolor everything after I've created a group.
    Hey Sean, I'm glad you like the script so far. :)

    Labeling layers outside groups to 'None' is feature that is intended for when you mostly work with groups. That way it's easy to see which layers are in a group and which aren't. But this, of course, only makes sense when you only have a few group-less layers. You can also disable this feature. As this question came up before, I just quickly set up a section in the F.A.Q. Read up here:
  • Lara WenningerLara Wenninger
    Hi Constantin!

    It seems that the Lumetri-effect is not fully compatible with the group adjustment layer (some things like curves, saturation... are not transfered to the layers). Do you know of any other limitations in other effects?
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Lara Wenninger said:
    Hi Constantin!

    It seems that the Lumetri-effect is not fully compatible with the group adjustment layer (some things like curves, saturation... are not transfered to the layers). Do you know of any other limitations in other effects?
    Hey Lara,

    the problem with the Lumetri-effect is that, for example, the curves on it are not keyframable which means you cannot apply an expression to the curves. And since Workflower's adjustment layer links the effects using expressions, you're not able to see the changes you make with these effects. To update all layers to the changes on the group adjustment layer, you need to execute "Refresh Connections" on it, then the effect/s will be copied to all layers again and non-linkable properties will be updated.

    (This has to be done for all effects that have non-linkable attributes. Also, when the effect has a custom UI, like Optical Flares or something like that, the data from that cannot be linked by an expression and therefore "Refresh Connections" has be to be executed to update all layers.)

    If you want to see changes you make without the need for "Refresh Connections", I would recommend to use effects that are linkable by expressions. So instead of "Lumetri Color", use the "Curves" or "Hue/Saturation" effect.

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Sean KimberSean Kimber
    Hi! I'm curious if we'd be able to share projects with other AE users who don't have it. Will they be able to move groups properly, etc? Or do we have to do a conversion before handing it off.

    Thanks!
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sean Kimber said:
    Hi! I'm curious if we'd be able to share projects with other AE users who don't have it. Will they be able to move groups properly, etc? Or do we have to do a conversion before handing it off.

    Thanks!
    Hi Sean, 

    yes, you can share the project with someone who doesn't own the script. However, it is recommended to convert the layout of all comps to another style to get rid of all indent and special characters. Read up here for more information on exchanging a project file: https://workflower.constantin-maier.com/faq#can-i-open-a-project

    That way, you can easily exchange the file, however, selecting and moving the groups or using any other group functionality is only possible when you have the script. When you don't have it, you will have to deal with the layers individually as you're used to without the script.

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Jordan LandJordan Land
    Hello, it seems I have bought the license, installed the plugin, activated the license and run the script all successfully. The problem I have currently is that the plugin's default shortcut keys don't seem to be working. For instance, I press ctrl+alt+x and the workflower panel does not show up. I can only access it by going into file>scripts>*selecting the workflower script*.

    I don't know if this is because I just didn't set the shortcut keys properly when I first installed the plugin, but I been trying to find where to set the shortcut keys in the settings panel and it seems the only solution is to manually assign each shortcut key to each task through keyboard shortcuts window in ae. Is there are another solution to this?

    I have tried reinstalling and reactivating the license in order to get to this panel (https://workflower.constantin-maier.com/installation#step-2-installing-the-shortcuts) to set the default shortcut keys, but have been unable to find the menu after installing the plugin. Even manually entering the shortcut keys through the keyboard shortcut panel in ae, I am still having issues setting the manually entering the 
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Jordan Land said:
    Hello, it seems I have bought the license, installed the plugin, activated the license and run the script all successfully. The problem I have currently is that the plugin's default shortcut keys don't seem to be working. For instance, I press ctrl+alt+x and the workflower panel does not show up. I can only access it by going into file>scripts>*selecting the workflower script*.

    I don't know if this is because I just didn't set the shortcut keys properly when I first installed the plugin, but I been trying to find where to set the shortcut keys in the settings panel and it seems the only solution is to manually assign each shortcut key to each task through keyboard shortcuts window in ae. Is there are another solution to this?

    I have tried reinstalling and reactivating the license in order to get to this panel (https://workflower.constantin-maier.com/installation#step-2-installing-the-shortcuts) to set the default shortcut keys, but have been unable to find the menu after installing the plugin. Even manually entering the shortcut keys through the keyboard shortcut panel in ae, I am still having issues setting the manually entering the 
    Hey Jordan,

    I'm sorry to hear about your problems.

    When you open up Workflower's main menu from "File > Scripts", on the menu, you can click on the settings button on the lower right. Then navigate to the "Shortcuts" tab and click on "Set Shortcuts for Current Layout". This will open up Workflower's shortcuts panel. On there, you can set your shortcuts. If there aren't any shortcuts when the panel opens, you can click on "Reset to Default" to get the default shortcuts. Then click on "Save". Now, you should be able to use all shortcuts.

    If this doesn't help, please open up a support ticket as it will be easier for me to help you with this that way than here in the comments:

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Rafael LewisRafael Lewis
    Is there any sort of quick reference available for what the icons mean? Info on hover would be cool. 
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Rafael Lewis said:
    Is there any sort of quick reference available for what the icons mean? Info on hover would be cool. 
    Hi Rafael,

    when you hover over the icons, the function name is displayed like this:

    image

    Is this tooltip not displayed for you or do you rather mean an explanation of what the function does?

    The user guide features an explanation of every function alongside their icons:

    However, as of now, there is no single page that summarizes all functions, if that's what you mean; there's just the detailed explanation in the user guide, consisting of various pages.
  • Rafael LewisRafael Lewis
    Hey Constantin,

    I'm not getting any tooltip on hover. (AE 18.4.1)
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Rafael Lewis said:
    Hey Constantin,

    I'm not getting any tooltip on hover. (AE 18.4.1)
    Hi Rafael,

    that's weird. Can you send me support ticket concerning this question as it will be easier to help you with this that way:

    When you send the support ticket, can you let me know which OS and which language (OS language + AE language) you're using? Also, have you waited a little bit for the tooltip to appear? Generally, the tooltip isn't there immediately but maybe 0.5 - 1 seconds later.
  • Tim ComanTim Coman
    Is there an update coming for AfterFX 2022 - would be a fan of getting that.
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Tim Coman said:
    Is there an update coming for AfterFX 2022 - would be a fan of getting that.
    Hi Tim,

    there's a big update (v1.1) I've been working on for some time now. I hope I'll be able to release it at the end of this month. Of course, the update will be free for all existing customers. It will feature the ability to use a group opacity, an automatic trimming of the group header's in/out to its contained layers, the ability to convert a group to a precomp and vice versa, a huge speed improvement for "Refresh Layout" (around 4x faster), and a lot more. Here you can take a look at some of the other upcoming features in v1.1:

    However, I don't think there's much relating specifically to AE 2022 in this release. As far as I've tested this, I have not experienced any issues with AE 2022 and Workflower. Still, if you have encountered any problems relating to AE 2022, feel free to send me a support ticket and I'll take a look at it.
  • cutman cutmancutman cutman
    My Documents are on drive D. You didn't take that into account. Therefore, all presets are installed on my desktop.
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    cutman cutman said:
    My Documents are on drive D. You didn't take that into account. Therefore, all presets are installed on my desktop.
    Hey Cutman,

    I'm sorry to hear about your issues. I might have a fix already implemented for that which will be included in the upcoming release. Can you send me a support ticket concerning this issue?:

    If you do, I can send you a new script file with this fix. Hopefully it'll work. If it doesn't, I'm sure we'll be able to find a solution!

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • shane davisshane davis
    Hi Constantin, please can you help?

    I have installed the plugin in the scripts folder and it is at the top. When I go to file/scripts and click on workflow I get a popup that reads:

    "Unable to execute script at line 6. null is not an object"

    I am on Mac and running AE 2021.

    thank you in advance.

    ** Issue now solved**

    The issue was caused by Dropbox backup of Desktop. Found solution from:

  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    shane davis said:
    Hi Constantin, please can you help?

    I have installed the plugin in the scripts folder and it is at the top. When I go to file/scripts and click on workflow I get a popup that reads:

    "Unable to execute script at line 6. null is not an object"

    I am on Mac and running AE 2021.

    thank you in advance.

    ** Issue now solved**

    The issue was caused by Dropbox backup of Desktop. Found solution from:


    Hi Shane,

    yes, there's an issue relating to Macs and a Dropbox backup. I'm glad you were able to to figure out the solution yourself. There will be an update coming soon which will fix this issue. In the meantime, everyone has go with a workaround, either by turning off the Dropbox backup, or by disabling the automatic update check (which causes the issue), see also here:
    https://aescripts.com/knowledgebase/index/view/faq/scripts-crashing-in-macos-monterey/

    If you have any other questions, just let me know!

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Todd MorganTodd Morgan
    On install I get "Cannot edit the Default Keyboards Layout Preset. Please select or create another Preset. (Workflower Shortcuts can't be set in the following panel. Come back to set them.)
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Todd Morgan said:
    On install I get "Cannot edit the Default Keyboards Layout Preset. Please select or create another Preset. (Workflower Shortcuts can't be set in the following panel. Come back to set them.)

    Hey Todd,

    on the dialog you're mentioning, click on "Create/Select another Preset". Now AE's shortcuts panel will open up. At the top of this panel, you can choose your "Keyboard Layout Preset". Click on "Save As..." to create a copy of your default keyboard layout preset and name it whatever you like. Now click on "OK" and you should get back Workflower's dialogs. If you don't get back, open "--- Workflower ---.jsxbin" from "File > Scripts" again, go the settings, navigate to "Shortcuts" and click on "Set Shortcuts for Current Layout". Workflower's shortcuts panel will come up where you can set shortcuts for all Workflower functions. Then click on "Save" and shortcuts should be applied. :)

    Hope this helps. If you still experience issues or you have other questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Ariel BrenerAriel Brener
    Looks amazing, does it support the new apple silicon m1 chips?
  • Sean JenkinsonSean Jenkinson
    Hi,

    This looks great but I have a question.

    I've been warned that grouping layers can cause problems if the project file is then sent to someone who does not have the software used to group the layers installed.

    If I were to use any of the capabilities in Workflow and then have to send my work to someone who does not have it installed... would they still be able to open the file and work in it without any issues?

    Thanks.

    S Jenkinson.
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Ariel Brener said:
    Looks amazing, does it support the new apple silicon m1 chips?

    Thanks Ariel!

    so, I have to admit I wasn't able yet test the script on an Apple M1 yet because I don't have one at hand here at the moment. But I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. Since this is a script (not a plugin) and the instructions of a script are just interpreted, it doesn't talk to the CPU directly like a plugin does (which has to be compiled to machine code). That's why I think scripts should run fine on M1 and I haven't heard of any script that had to be updated. Also, I'm sure there are a few already existing customers of Workflower which have an M1 and I haven't heard of any issues yet. However, I'd recommend to just test out the trial first and see whether it works for you. If any issues might come up, I'll be more than happy to look into it!

    Hope that helps. If there are any more questions, just let me know!

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
  • Constantin MaierConstantin Maier
    Sean Jenkinson said:
    Hi,

    This looks great but I have a question.

    I've been warned that grouping layers can cause problems if the project file is then sent to someone who does not have the software used to group the layers installed.

    If I were to use any of the capabilities in Workflow and then have to send my work to someone who does not have it installed... would they still be able to open the file and work in it without any issues?

    Thanks.

    S Jenkinson.

    Thanks Sean! :)

    Yes, you can open up a project that was created in Workflower even if you don't have the script. However, the indented comp layout of Workflower might make it a bit difficult to continue to work in these comps. That's why Workflower offers the ability to remove all indent in your project before handing it over. Please read the this F.A.Q. section on this for further information:

    Also, you might want to take a look at this excerpt from an upcoming tutorial series where I cover the function of converting your project to another layout (The full tutorial series will be released along with Workflower v1.1 very soon.):

    I hope this helps. If there are any more questions, just let me know! :)

    Best wishes,
    Constantin
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